Discover Ireland's Malahide Castle

Malahide Castle stands on 260 acres or 1.1 square kilometres of land, and is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland. Located nine miles or 14 kilometres north of Ireland’s capital city, Dublin, the castle is currently a tourist attraction. Guided tours of the main castle are available, as well as a banquet-style restaurant, where private parties are held in the medieval Great Hall. The Castle is unique because it was controlled by one family, the Talbots, for almost eight hundred years. Their reign began in 1185 and ended in 1973 when the last of the Talbots died. The castle was subsequently sold to the Irish State two years later. Today, the history of the Talbot family is chronicled in the castle’s Great Hall through paintings of the generations. Period furniture decorates the castle’s interior, along with a collection of Irish portrait paintings. The surrounding land has not changed much during Malahide Castle’s history; however the castle itself has undergone various alterations and renovations. For example, the circular towers lining the castle’s exterior were added in 1765. Legend suggests the castle is haunted by five ghosts, and that is one of many tales that make Malahide Castle a great place to visit.